Lyme Disease in Cats

"Lyme disease in cats is caused by a tick
bite that attaches itself to your cat at least 24 hours. Treatment
includes removing the tick the same day your cat is bitten,and shampoos
and topicals that kill and prevent ticks from biting. Treatment
includes antibiotics with the possible addition of homeopathic support."

Cat lyme disease is caused by a bacterial infection spread by ticks.
Humans can only catch the disease from ticks, not from contact with
their pets.

Cases of feline lyme disease are predominantly seen in the
Northeastern and Middle-Atlantic States. There has also been an
increase in cases in the Mid-West.

Picture of Tick

How Cats Get Lyme Disease

The bacteria that causes lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi)
is found in small wild animals such as mice and deer. When ticks feed
on the blood of an infected animal, they become a carrier and can then
pass the bacteria on to the next animal the tick bites such as your
cat.

Symptoms of Lyme Disease in Cats

Symptoms in cats (and dogs) are not as severe as the symptoms seen
in humans that are infected with lyme. When a cat is infected by a lyme
carrying tick, symptoms can include:

Arthritis

Lameness

Joint Pain

Joint Swelling

Fever

No appetite

Dehydration

Lethargy

Swollen lymph nodes

If rare cases more severe symptoms will develop including:

Kidney Disease/Failure

Diagnosis of Lyme Disease of Cats

A majority of cats that live in a region that is known for lyme
disease will test positive to tests. A blood test will be used with
attention paid to the red blood cell count. This is why testing alone
is not a proof positive approach to the illness. Your veterinarian will
thoroughly check your cat's skin to see if there are any remaining
ticks.

If your veterinarian suspects lyme disease due to symptoms such as
those listed above, she will start your cat on treatment and then see
if she gets better.

Treatment of Lyme Disease in Cats

Antibiotics are an effective way to fight cat lyme disease. You may
also want to consider a natural homeopathic remedy to support the red
blood cells and liver in the body. One product that is a good source
for additional research is
PetAlive TF-Defense Formula which is specifically made for the
natural treatment of acute lyme disease or other tick borne diseases in
pets.

How to Remove a Tick from Your Cat

If you see a ticks on cats
you can have it removed by your veterinarian or remove it yourself.
Wear gloves, and then use tweezers at skin level to pull it out. Be
sure to pull at the head and mouth, not the body as squeezing it may
inject your cat with any bacteria left in the tick. Pull straight out
from the body. If you see some of the mouth parts remaining behind,
this is not a problem. Leave them in place. Disinfect the area with
hydrogen peroxide or other cat skin care ointment.

Do not use vaseline or a match to help remove the tick as ticks will
not detach themselves using these methods. Clean the area and apply an
antibiotic ointment.

Remember that ticks can spread disease to humans, so wear gloves and
do not touch the tick with your skin/fingers.

Please do not use your fingers to remove or dispose of the tick. We
do not want you in contact with a potentially disease-carrying tick. Do
NOT squash the tick with your fingers. The contents of the tick can
transmit disease.

Once an embedded tick is manually removed, it is not uncommon for a
welt and skin reaction to occur. A little hydrocortisone spray or
hydrogen peroxide will help alleviate the irritation, but it may take a
week or more for healing to take place. In some cases, the tick bite
may permanently scar leaving a hairless area. This skin irritation is
due to the irritating and destructive tick saliva. It is not
due to the tick losing its head, literally. Do not be worried about the
tick head staying in; it rarely happens. This skin irritation is due to
a reaction to the tick saliva.

You should frequently check your cat for ticks. There are basically
5 types of products available that can help kill/remove/repel ticks:

Prevention of Lyme Disease in Cats

Type of Product

Treatment

Products

Topicals

Applied to the back 1x a month. Popular option for tick and
flea prevention.

Frontline, FRONTLINE
Plus for Cats & Kittens - kills ticks within 48 hours, often
before they bite your cat. Also kills fleas. Plus version contains
methoprene which is an IGR or insect growth regulator which keeps
insects from reproducing. Contains fipronil.

Sprays

Sprayed on your cat's fur. Used after exposure to ticks and
fleas to kill them on contact. After treatment use a product like
Frontline.

Frontline Spray. Contains fipronil.

Shampoo

Used to kill and remove ticks that are already on your cat.

Only select a brand made specifically for cats. The active
ingredient is pyrethrins.

Collars

Need to have a good fit to be effective. A quick fitting
method is to allow approximately 2 fingers should be able to be fit
under the collar.

Only buy collars that are made specifically for cats as not
all collars are cat safe.

There are vaccinations available to prevent lyme disease in cats. If
your cat is frequently outdoors and lives in a tick infested area, a
vaccine may be recommended.